Crime Watch

Don't Text and Walk In the early-morning hours last Friday, a 20-year-old woman was walking home when she received a text message on her iPhone. She took it out of her bag at the corner of East 82nd Street and York Avenue to respond when an unknown man ran up behind her and pushed her to the ground. The perp then kicked the victim in the stomach and said, "Give me it." After grabbing her $500 phone, he fled. The perp is described as being around 20 years old, white, 5'5", 130 pounds, wearing black pants and a black ski jacket. The victim refused medical attention at the scene. Cab Ride Gone Wrong After a night of hanging out in the city last Saturday, a 25-year-old man hopped into a taxi on East 74th Street and Second Avenue and asked the driver to take him to Little Neck, N.Y. The driver refused, saying it was too far out of the five boroughs, and the passenger said he would simply find another cab to take him. Though they had driven less than a block, however, the driver insisted the man pay him. When he refused, the driver jumped out of his seat and started yelling at the man, grabbing him by the neck and causing minor cuts. The incident ended in the driver's arrest for assault. Gang Grab Early Sunday morning, a 36-year-old woman exited the subway at East 96th Street and Lexington Avenue and was walking home. She noticed a group of five or six teenagers, both male and female, surround her on the street. Suddenly, one of them punched her in the head, causing small abrasions, while another grabbed her purse. All of them fled into the nearby housing projects with the woman's bag in tow. Street Scuffle Two strangers, both 20-year-old men, got into an argument on the sidewalk on Second Avenue around 3 a.m. Sunday morning. One of the young men tried to punch the other but missed. Then his opponent got a swing in that hit the victim in the face, causing a laceration on his lip. The felled fighter hit the pavement and was knocked unconscious, while the victorious assailant hopped into a car and sped off. The victim was taken to Cornell Medical Center for treatment.